PonyScape: Where the Heart is
by GuthixianBrony
Summary: When a teleport goes awry, the World Guardian and his closets allies find themselves on a Quest beyond anything they've encountered.
1. Where the Heart is: Prologue

Stardust woke with a start, her heart pounding. She'd had the dream again. Taking a few breaths to calm herself, she lay back in the dark and stared at the ceiling, watching her breath mist above her. With a flicker of saffron-coloured magic, the unicorn levitated the time piece from her bedside table to eye level, and groaned; it was still the far side of dawn, not that it mattered much down here.

She very much doubted she'd get back to sleep now; the chill air was doing little to aid her efforts. Kicking back the blankets, she lit her horn a second time and her robes drifted from where she'd hung them the previous night. No sense in delaying the inevitable. She quickly donned the heavy ensemble, drawing its thick hood over her head. Despite the warmth she still shivered. Stifling a yawn, she moved towards the corner of her cell where a small dresser and wooden crate stood. Stopping at the dresser she removed the remains of a thick white candle from a drawer, and eyed it critically.

"Half a day, if I'm any judge," she muttered, "I can't put it off forever…"

Another burst of saffron set the wick ablaze, and a sustained aura kept it bobbing at head height. Satisfied, the now robed unicorn turned to the large wooden crate. Opening the lid she peered in.

"Okay, just going to need candles for now. That makes it a little easier."

A quick flicker of magic levitated one of the pressed oat rolls out of the crate and into her open mouth. She chewed and swallowed the snack quickly, not even bothering to grimace at the overly sweet taste. Satisfied, Stardust opened the door to her cell and ventured out into the dorms.

The door sounded unnaturally loud as she closed it, as did her hooves as she set off at a gentle trot down the dark stone corridor; not so long ago, this place would have been alive with the light of countless candles, enchanted to float high amongst the rafters, and buzzing with the chatter of Daughters of all ages and other essential staff going about their business. Now there was just her. Stardust hated what her home had become, a forgotten monument of glory long passed. In the dark corners of her mind she frequently harboured thoughts of leaving, but didn't have the heart or courage; this had been the only place where she felt she had ever truly belonged, and if she were to leave who would perform the Duty?

The Duty. This was her life now; ensuring the continued survival of Mother's legacy. She'd walked this path so many times now it was second nature. Her hooves knew the way and her mind was free to wander, not that she had much food for thought these days. She could always spend the day in the library again, but she'd need to venture to the store caverns soon with how low her candle supply was running. Being stuck in another cave-in was not an experience she wished to repeat, but she'd have to risk it; she couldn't afford to be frivolous with her magic after all, not with the amount of food that was left. If she kept rationing at her current rate there'd be enough for another year, maybe two if she halved her already meagre portion. Mother wouldn't be happy, but what else could she do?

Stardust was under no delusions; she was going to die, just like everypony would sooner or later. Admittedly, dying hungry, cold and alone wasn't overly appealing, but this was her life now. She'd had plenty of time to get used to the idea after all. A slight change to her surroundings jolted her out of her reveries; she'd entered a large atrium, its vaulted ceiling lost in the permanent fog high above her. What occupied her attention though was in front of her.

The Vault.

Despite the years of rust and neglect, its great iron doors were still just as imposing and awe-inspiring as ever, its heavy bolts and bars, caked with ice, were impossible to lift for all but the strongest of unicorn mages. This was the most secure part of the Temple; Mother had designed it to hold off an army. Just as well, too.

Stardust shivered at the unpleasant memories before rapping gently on the iron monster. The four knocks boomed around the hallway, dislodging icicles and rust which tumbled down around the unicorn's head. She took a short step back, and waited for the echoes to die away; she fancied she heard the distant rumble of a cave-in in some distant and forgotten wing. Satisfied that she was safe from immediate head trauma, Stardust approached the great doors again.

"Mother," she called softly, "It's Star. Let me in, please?"

No response.

Stardust sighed, Mother must still be asleep; she _was_ up unusually early, after all. Oh well, might as well see about stocking up on candles in the mean-

There was a flash of light, a sense of movement, and a slightly queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She blinked a few times, taking in her new surroundings; Mother must've woken up early too. Like the majority of her home, the interior of the Vault was shrouded in a permanent veil of dust that never settled. The only exception here was a faint glow near the centre of the room, giving everything an eerie bluish tint. Giving her head one last shake for good measure, Stardust set off in a straight line towards the glow. She kept her pace slow and steady, the candle floating close to her head; the last thing she wanted was to do was slip off one of the catwalks and break her neck. The tell-tale clatter of metal under-hoof told her that was precisely where she was. Pausing, she stole a quick glance over the railing, the light of her candle doing little to penetrate the gloom below.

It was hard to believe that Mother's Legacy was down there, sleeping soundly, oblivious to the horrors that had been committed outside their little haven, safe and secure whilst her Sisters had- Stardust took a breath. No, they weren't to blame. They'd already suffered enough long before Mother gave them purpose. They weren't to blame. Taking another breath, she continued along the catwalk.

After a few minutes she'd reached the heart of the Vault, or more precisely, Mother's Heart. It was a large gem or crystal, (if there was a difference she couldn't tell), shaped like a traditional love-heart and glowing with a gentle blue light; it was perfectly formed, with no sign of tools being used in its shaping at all. It floated gently at the centre of the room, with no visible means of support, emitting a gentle hum that made Stardust's spine tingle. The curious thing was that Stardust never questioned where the Heart had come from; contrary to its alien appearance and nature, she'd always been saddled with the unshakable feeling that it… _belonged _here more than the temple did, more than she did.

Shivering not entirely from the cold, she reached out and touched the floating stone.

"Good morning, Mother," she whispered softly, her voice echoing regardless, "I'm sorry if I woke you. It's still very early, after all."

There was no response, at least in the common sense. Stardust instead felt a warm wave of fondness and reassurance wash over her, along with a tinge of concern. The unicorn smiled.

"No, I'm alright really. It was just a dream. I'm fine now, promise."

Relief mixed with undertones of scepticism.

"Please. I'm still standing aren't I? I've enough to keep going for the time being. I was thinking that I can make the supplies last longer if I half my rations."

Concern.

"Well, what else can I do, Mother? There's only me now; no-pony even knows I'm still alive. I honestly doubt anypony up there even remembers the temple is even here," she snapped, her voice rising, "All I can do is keep your Legacy alive, just like you told me to, and just like I have done for the last five years!"

Heavy regret, mixed with appreciation and sorrow.

"No, I'm the one who should apologise," she said, shaking her head, "You're the reason I'm still here in the first place. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted."

Forgiveness, mixed with understanding.

"To be honest, I doubt I'd have stayed sane without you here."

Humour.

"Yes, I'm well aware that I'm talking to a heart-shaped crystal, but it would be rude if I ignored it."

More humour, mixed with excitement and anticipation.

Stardust wrinkled her brow in confusion.

"What do you mean? I'm sorry Mother, but I don't understand."

A rush of emotions surged through her mind; Excitement and relief jostled with each other for dominance, whilst a small serpent of guilt slithered around them. At the very bottom was an undeniable wave of fear. All of these were suddenly washed away by an overwhelming sense of something Stardust hadn't felt in years; hope.

Stardust's frown deepened.

"I still don't understand. Somepony is coming _here_, to the temple? How? Who are they?"

No emotions this time, but words. Three words popped into Stardust's mind, seemingly of their own volition.

_The Green Stallion_

* * *

There was a sound like the beating of a hundred butterfly wings, and Aliks' world exploded back into view. He'd been looking forward to this trip; there was nothing he liked more than an afternoon in the tropics with a deckchair, a fishing rod and a good book, with no pesky fish for miles around; yes, this was going to be–

He tripped on one of the inner mushroom rings, his luggage flying in all directions, and fell face first into a snowdrift. _A snowdrift_; that was… unexpected, so much so that he couldn't find his voice to yell in surprise.

He laid there in shock, his arms and legs refusing to budge. At the same time, he was becoming increasingly aware of the fact that he was, suddenly, very cold... actually no, _freezing_. It took a few seconds to rally his arms in an attempt to shakily push himself out of the drift. Steadily, and taking care to avoid landing on his backside, he got to his feet. When he felt stable enough, he gave a full-body shiver with a whimper thrown in for good measure. Feeling a little better, he started to brush himself down.

It wasn't surprising that he was feeling the cold so badly; he'd dressed for the beach after all, not the godsforsaken North. Though to be fair his beachwear was no different to his every-daywear. His cloak and robes were good for the fairly temperate climates of the Asgarnian provinces he called home, but weren't really suitable for this sort of weather; he was wearing open- toe sandals for Guthix's sake!

Satisfied that he was free from the vile white powder, Aliks took a good look at his surroundings. This was most definitely not Mos Le'Harmless; if it was, then something had gone extremely wrong with the weather and geography, (or more likely the fairy ring network). This was more what the naïve liked to dub a "Wintumber Wonderland", though in this case "Wasteland" might have been more appropriate; everything for as far as the eye could see was caked in snow, the only visible plant life were pathetic matchstick trees, hung heavy with ice and frost. The sky wasn't much better, a washed out steel-grey with a watery sun trying but failing miserably at its job.

Yep, he wouldn't be staying here any longer than necessary.

Shivering, he began rummaging through the drifts, picking up his gear from where it had landed and stacking the larger items by the fairy ring: Deckchair? Check; Tackle box? Check; Book? Oh, no... The ink had run where the snow had melted; now he'd never know who done it. Sighing, he stuffed the ruined book into his satchel. He was still missing something, but what? A chill wind blew past, ruffling his braids and further chilling his head. Ah, of course. He shuffled over to a snow drift that was sporting a battered wide-brimmed hat; it tinkled gently as the wind played with the feathers and other assorted knick-knacks secured in the band. Stooping, he picked it up by the brim, dusted it down and set it firmly on his head.

Right, was that everything? Ah, not quite. He stooped down again and took hold of a root sticking out of the drift, pulling it out to reveal a length of wood less than half a metre in length; its tip curved like a shepherd's crook whilst its hilt was smoothed for an easy and comfortable grip. He stuck this in his belt; certain that it would stay putthis time. Well, that was all his gear accounted for. Now it was just a question of where his Trusty Companion had wandered off to.

An indignant and muffled mechanical squawk from under his feet answered that.

"Error! Error! Item-clog-in-all-external-ports-detected! Total-system-failure-imminent!

With a sigh the mage took half a step back, stooped for what he hoped would be the last time, and with a grimace, pulled as his Trusty Companion free of the snow; it was a small, squat robot, its odd root-like body and tendril-limbs overlaid with squares of dull-green metal. Aliks gave the miniature automaton a vigorous shake, causing clumps of snow to fall from its cavities, before setting it on the ground. It swayed as if dazed, before getting its bearings and looking up at its liberator. The inverted triangle of metal that served as its head sported a large V-shaped slit of cyan light. Clearly, it was not impressed.

"Cresbot-is-fully-capable-of-removing-port-clogs-Aliksandar: Please-refrain-from-repeating-such-actions-in-the-future." The little robot scorned; its tinny voice petulant, "Port-clogs-aside-Cresbot-was-at-risk-of-a-total-system-failure-due-to-the-addition-of-Aliksandar's-excessive-body-mass."

"Oh, switch-off Cres," Aliks smirked as the metal ingrate dusted itself down, evicting the more stubborn clumps of snow with its delicate appendages, "We both know it'd take more than me standing on you to break you. Also, I am not fat; if anything I've been underweight for the majority of my life!"

"Cresbot-begs-to-differ: Aliksandar's-body-mass-has-increased-by-five-units-since- measurements-were-last-updated."

"And since when has measuring my waistline been part of your programming?"

The V was replaced by a diagonal line of three dots.

"Request-for information-acknowledged. Answer: Maintenance-of-Aliksnadar's-health-is-central-to-Cresbot's-primary-mode-of-Companionship. In-addition-to-monitoring-weight-Cresbot-also-monitors-the-following: Physical-health, psychological-health, diet, sleep-routine, and-various-sub-sets-and-miscellanea." The little robot seemed to beam with pride, "Data-is-updated-once-every-calendar-month."

The mage cocked an eyebrow.

"And when do you manage to do all that? I haven't caught you scrutinising me from the side-on before."

"Cresbot-is-able-to-take-efficient-anatomical-measurements- when-Aliksandar-is-asleep."

There was an awkward silence, broken when Aliks cleared his throat.

"When we get home," he grimaced, trying his hardest to not wonder how thorough these measurements had been, "You and I are going to have a serious talk about privacy and personal space."

If the little robot heard this, it gave no sign. Instead it chose to look around, taking in its surroundings for the first time. Finally it looked back at its owner, the three dots replaced by a disappointed w-shape.

"Cresbot-assumes-that-there-was-an-error-inputting-the-ring-coordinates-Aliksandar?"

Trying not to pout, the mage scowled at his companion.

"And why is it automatically my fault?" he griped, "There could have been a fault in the network for all we know."

"Cresbot-understands: You-are-only-human."

"Oi! That's enough of that," he chuckled, offering an arm to the lippy automaton, "Come on; let's go."

The w shape was quickly replaced by an inverted-U as the little machine scrambled up and clung contentedly to his shoulders. He could feel the metal points of its hands and feet poking into his neck and upper back; it was an awkward sensation but it wasn't painful. Satisfied that his companion wasn't about to fall off again, Aliks got to his feet.

He looked around at the landscape again; there was something about this place that set his skin into goosebumps, and it wasn't just the temperature. Something was wrong. Inherently wrong; like it didn't really belong. He shrugged mentally; Oh well, not his problem anyway. The sooner they got away, the better he'd feel. He trudged back to the fairy ring, picked up his gear, stepped into the central ring, and waited.

…

Nothing happened. No rush of butterfly wings, no blur of colours, nothing; just the sound of the wind, howling like a great mournful beast.

Well, this was odd.

Aliks raised a hand to his face and massaged his cheeks, checking for irregularities; nothing felt loose. Deciding on further examination, he probed around the inside of his mouth with his tongue; the false tooth that allowed him to use the network was still there, so he wasn't the issue.

"Is-there-a-problem-Aliksandar?" Cres enquired, peering over the mage's shoulder, "Only-Cresbot-and-Aliksandar-do-not-appear-to-have-moved."

Aliks shrugged as he stepped out of the ring.

"No idea. My tooth's fine, but maybe the cold could be affecting the mushrooms, what do you think?"

"Request-for information-acknowledged. Answer: ERROR. No-data-available!"

"Calm down," he sighed, "I was being rhetorical. Let's try again."

He stepped into the ring again, and waited. Apart from a sudden gust of wind blowing up his skirts and chilling his legs, nothing happened.

"Oh, come on! Don't do this to me!"

Aliks threw down his gear and stormed out of the fungal circle, fuming. He crouched by the outer ring and gave one of the mushrooms a prod with his wand. There was nothing. Not even a spark. This wasn't just a simple error in the network; the ring was dead.

He stared at the sad fungal ring in disbelief. This was a first, he'd never heard of a fairy ring… well, drying up before; heck, the Edgeville ring had survived being bombarded by Dragonkin. Long story short, they were incredibly difficult to damage, let alone break; he wasn't sure they could break. Still, while this was food for thought, and something to grill Fairy Fixit over later, it was hardly an inconvenience; after all, any wizard worth his stupid pointy-hat always kept a means for teleportation about his person.

He opened his satchel and rummaged around. After a minute, his rummaging became a little more frantic; he hadn't packed any law runes. In his defence, he had never actually earned the stupid pointy-hat… oh, bugger.

Panic was building in the mage's chest and paranoia buzzed around his mind. He was never going to live this down; when word got out about this he'd be the butt of every joke at the Tower; tutors would hold him up to their students as the example of "How not to do it". Assuming he even got back; he had no idea where he was. In all likelihood, he would starve to death out here, never to be found. On a lighter note, he wouldn't live through the unbearable embarrassment; the dead didn't tend to care much beyond their remains being disturbed or their right to pass over.

A mechanised chirping in his ear drew his attention back to the moment.

"Sorry, what?" he apologised, wrestling with the rising panic, "I wasn't paying attention. What did you say?"

"Request-for information-acknowledged. Answer: Aliksandar-Cresbot-has-detected-a-significant-increase-in-your-heart-rate. Cresbot-recommends-Aliksandar-take-immediate-calmative-measures-to-prevent-further-escalation."

"Easier said than done," the mage muttered, "Also, stop... reading… my body like that Cres; it's creepy."

"Request: Acknowledged. Cresbot-makes-no-apologies-for-fulfilling-Cresbot's-primary-function." The little robot retorted, "Additionally-due-to-the-continued-absence-of-teleportation-Cresbot-assumes-that-Aliksandar-did-not-pack-law-runes."

It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement. It was also the nail in the coffin.

"Yes!" he admitted wretchedly; panic finally winning out, "I forgot to bring law runes! And as a result, I've stranded us in the middle of nowhere where I will subsequently die of starvation or exposure! Considering how bloody cold it is, the smart money's on freezing!"

Cresbot waited for his companion's ranting to subside and his breathing to become more regular. Satisfied that he was as rational as humans got, Cresbot addressed the mage again.

"As-Ms-Ayla-would-enquire: Do-you-feel-better-now-Aliksandar?"

"Honestly? Yes. Yes I do." He breathed deeply, letting the chill air fill his lungs, "However, that doesn't change the fact you and I are well and truly up the creek, my metal friend."

"Then-considering-the-situatuion-Cresbot-recommends-the-immediate-use-of-an-Emergency-Teleport."

Aliks wanted to kick himself; the solution had been right under his nose the whole time, he'd just been too caught up the panic and fear of ridicule to think straight. And what's worse is that he needed to be reminded of something so integral and basic. The Emergency Teleport System was a network of lodestones spread across the continent, intended for exactly this occasion; if an Adventurer were to get hopelessly lost in the wilds, they could activate this spell and teleport to the nearest one, which generally put them outside the gates of the larger towns or cities. Most Adventurers carried it on their person at all times, Draynor Tower mass-produced the spell in easy-to-read pamphlets; students at the Tower had the formula drummed into them from day one until they knew it by heart. He may have never earned the stupid hat, but quite a bit had stuck through the years.

He looked forlornly at his luggage. An Emergency Teleport didn't allow room for additions; he'd have to leave everything behind, his deckchair, his tackle box... Oh, well; replacing them would be a lot easier than replacing him. Wand in hand, he squatted and drew a sharp circle about himself in the snow, to focus the network's magic. Grimacing, he sat down cross-legged in a meditative stance, closed his eyes and, trying to ignore his now cold and damp rump, recited the words.

He opened his eyes, fully expecting a dramatic change to his surroundings. He was horrified to discover that everything had maliciously chosen to remain white and wintry.

"Perhaps-Aliksandar-mispronounced-part-of-the-incantation?" a metallic voice chirped helpfully.

Aliks gave a small sigh of resignation. It had been quite a while since he'd last needed to do this; perhaps he had mispronounced one of the words. He closed his eyes and recited the words again.

He opened his eyes; tundra greeted him.

"Oh, come on!"

The mage struggled to his feet, his mind whirring. This was insane! Apart from the deep Wilderness the network could be accessed anywhere on Gielinor. And considering that he was not surrounded by creatures bent on killing him every ten seconds, he was reasonably sure that this wasn't the Wilderness. So, why in the flipping hippo wasn't the spell working?! He'd said the words, and there was no question of his getting them wrong; Wizard Isidor had been able to cure even the most forgetful students through the unintentional (but very real) threat of outright humiliation in front of one's friends, peers and mentors.

So, if he wasn't the problem, what had gone wrong?

The penny dropped with a rather nasty clatter.

The network could be accessed anywhere on _Gielinor_.

"Oh, no."

"Is-there-a-problem-Aliksandar?"

"Well, you remember that creek I mentioned earlier?" The mage gave a mirthless chuckle and cleared his throat, "Well, we're not so much up it without a paddle as we are up it without a boat."

There was a mechanical whirring from Cres. Aliks sighed inwardly; metaphors were not the little robot's forte.

"We're not on Gielinor," he clarified, "the E-Teleport is useless here, wherever _here_ is. And with the fairy ring drained-"

"And-Aliksandar's-lack-of-foresight."

"Yes, thank you for reminding me," he muttered irritably; looks like the ridicule had already begun, "It looks like we are well and truly stranded in this Godsforsaken wasteland."

The mage let out a long sigh of resignation; panic had run its course and working himself into a frenzy now would certainly do him no good. His energy would be better spent thinking of a way to repower the ring.

"Well, Cres. Any ideas would be appreciated."

"Request-for information-acknowledged. Please-wait."

Aliks waited for his Trusty Companion to respond, impatiently stamping his feet and huffing on his hands. Thinking would be a lot easier if he wasn't so damn cold; the temperature seemed to have dropped since he'd arrived, not to mention that the wind seemed to be picking up too!

Seeing a niche to be filled, paranoia descended; there were just too many unlikely coincidences piling up here: the fairy ring just happened to run out of magic, stranding him on some desolate backwater world, thus ruling out Emergency Teleports, on a day that he hadn't bothered to keep law runes about his person?

This was a set-up.

Something had been waiting for him to let his guard down, and now it had pounced! Whatever had engineered his arrival here could be out there now, watching his every move, just waiting for an opportunity to strike. How had it had known that he would be without means of escape and armed only to deal with unruly sea trolls? Had it been watching him, learning his routine? And just how powerful was this thing if it could hijack teleports and drain fairy rings dry?

Aliks kept a tight hold of his wand; he suddenly felt very alone and exposed. The whistling of the wind seemed to have a far more menacing quality than it did before.

"Cresbot-has-a-solution."

There was a shrill scream and a fireball erupted from the wand; it soared through the air, blazing like a second sun, before hitting the ground with a muted _thump_, an angry _hiss_, and a large column of steam some distance away. Certain that his heart was no longer at risk of leaping out of his throat, Aliks turned his head to his Trusty Companion.

"What was that for?!" he demanded, his breathing ragged. "What was that for, eh? You almost gave me a heart attack, for Guthix's sake. I thought you were monitoring my body?"

"Due-to-Aliksandar-labling-the-function-'creepy'-Cresbot-complied-with-Aliksandar's-request-and-disabled-monitoring-routines," the little robot explained, its metal face sporting the V, "Therefore-Cresbot-was-unable-to-predict-Aliksnadar's-reaction-to-external-stimuli!"

"Alright, I get it! You've made your point," Aliks took a moment to compose himself, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. Now, would you please tell me your idea?"

"Firstly-Cresbot-has-concluded-that-this-scenario-has-been-engineered-by-an-unknown-third-party. Secondly- Cresbot-acknowledges-that-the-only-means-of-transportation-is-beyond-Aliksandar's-abilities-to-repair."

"And this is you being helpful, is it?"

"Therefore-Cresbot-recommends-that-Aliksandar-locate-whatever-is-responislbe-for-disabling-the-ring-and-if-it-is-organic-persuade-them-to-restore-the-ring."

"Assuming they're open to reason."

"And-if-it-is-mechanical-reduce-it-to-its-basic-components."

"Assuming that it can be broken."

"If-Cresbot-has-learned-one-thing-about-Aliksandar-it-is-that-given-enough-magic-Aliksandar-is-capable-of-achieving-the-improbable."

"I packed for an afternoon's holiday, Cres. Not open warfare."

"Then-Cresbot-reccommends-Aliksandar-pray-that-whatever-is-responsible-is-both-organic-and-open-to-reason."

"Well, as plans go it sounds simple enough," Aliks agreed, "However, there's only one tiny flaw so far that I can see; how do I find what's pulling the strings?"

"ERROR: No-data-available."

"Terrific," he muttered.

Sighing again, the mage massaged the bridge of his nose; he was starting to get a headache. Well, whatever was pulling the strings had to be a reasonable distance from the fairy ring. After all, it had lost power after he'd come through, so who or whatever had to have some way of watching the ring. Aliks look around at the barren tundra; aside from the column of steam serenely curling skyward some distance to the south, nothing really stood out. He very much doubted that the matchstick trees were the manipulative, omnipotent fiend they sought. His gaze lingered on his trigger finger's handy work. Just how deep was this snow?

Resolved to solve at least one mystery he started trudging south, pausing briefly to set the matchstick trees ablaze with a salvo of well-aimed fireballs. Well, you couldn't be too careful, now could you?

* * *

Surprisingly, Aliks' paranoia had been right on the money; something had been watching him since his arrival. Invisible to the naked eye, they had crowded around him like moths drawn to a candle in the dark.

While they didn't have memory in the common sense of the word, they could recall when there had once been many _warm_ things like it, and the revulsion they held for this foul thing and its ilk that had walked the world. The warm was nothing more than an aberration of nature; an aberration that dared to take from the Cold, to drive it into the far corners and forgotten spaces with treacherous light and biting heat. But the Cold was patient; let the warm things fight, they would succumb in time.

Everything did.

While this trespasser was new to the entities, its contempt for the Cold was no different to that of all warm things; its vicious and unprovoked assaults said more than enough! It would not be tolerated. It would be made to yield.

The windigos pursued Aliks, howling in his ears and harrowing him with freezing gusts, snatching at his cloak and robes with icy fingers that made him shiver and stumble. Spiraling together above him, they brought forth the storm.


	2. Where the Heart is: Quest Start

A plume of dust rained down from the store cavern's ceiling, settling over Stardust and the sack of candles she was carrying. The unicorn looked up with a mixture of indignation and anxiety; half daring it to try it again, half praying that the rest of the roof wasn't about to follow. Satisfied that there would be no more immediate downpours she exited the cavern, cringing at the clamour her hooves made; she was deathly afraid that the noise would cause a cave-in. While a slow death by starvation wasn't a pleasant notion, it didn't seem all too bad when compared to the thought of being crushed or suffocating to death under a ton of fallen masonry.

Reaching the corridor, she let out sigh of relief before carrying on her way, a fresh candle burning merrily and bobbing by her head. If she'd the energy to spare, the rest of the candles would be floating after her too, packed away in a box or basket. Instead she'd opted to store them in the sack that was now slung over her back. Despite her intentions of making life easier the sack's straps bit cruelly into her shoulders, it contents weighing her down; magic or muscle made no difference, she'd be dangerously fatigued either way. Adjusting her load with a resigned sigh, Stardust plodded on, her echoing hooves setting a monotonous beat to her march.

The unicorn chewed at her lower lip, as she mulled over the morning's events. After her chat with Mother, Stardust's daily errands had gone by without incident. Mother's Legacy was still alive and well, content to slumber peacefully until they were called upon. With that done, the day was hers to do as she pleased, and had her friends still been around who knew what mischief or adventures they would concoct. A smile flickered on the mare's lips, but it was short lived. There was no point in her dredging up those memories; they belonged to a different pony, a carefree filly whose chief worry in life had been attending her classes on time. No, the past was better left alone.

With the rest of the day needing to be filled, she'd resolved to restock her candle supply before doing anything else. She'd reached the Cavern without issue and had hastily set about transferring the waxy behemoths from the large wooden crates into a sack that she had thought empty, but was found to be the home of a solitary dry and wrinkly apple, which she'd pocketed as a treat for later.

Then the tremor hit.

Despite only lasting a few seconds, the results were far from brief. Icicles had rained down from the cavern's roof, shattering into deadly fragments wherever they landed. Shrieking in panic, Stardust had bolted for the safety of the arched entry; her candle stub lost in her mad dash to safety, plunging the room into darkness. Bracing herself against the doorframe, her heart pounding and hardly daring to breathe, the mare had waited in the pitch dark for the sound of splintering ice and groaning stone to stop. Even when it had subsided, it was another minute or so before she was calm enough to focus on conjuring a tiny light to see by. Quickly returning to where she had dropped her sack, she had slung it over her shoulders and quickly made her way out of the cavern.

While cave-ins were a natural hazard of underground complexes forgotten and left to rot, earth tremors were a new feature. Stardust had done her fair share of research in the last five years; she'd had a lot of spare time after all, and the Grand Library didn't see much business these days. Her point was that she was in the wrong part of the world for earth tremors, so unless something had gone wrong with the world's geography, what had happened earlier wasn't a natural occurrence. Her first thoughts during the initial panic was that the soldiers had returned to finish what they'd started five years ago; not content with the slaughter, they were now trying to collapse the Sanctum to make sure nopony ever knew they were ever here. Dread had gripped her at the thought of, not her death, but Mother's Legacy being buried beneath the earth; the last five years of her life squandered in an ultimately fruitless endeavour. When there had been no further tremors though, she had quickly dismissed the notion; when the soldiers returned she would know, and no mistake.

Now that she was calmer, she found her thoughts drifting back to her conversation that morning; Mother had told her that she was expecting somepony. _The Green Stallion_… Was it even possible? The unicorn chided herself for being so foalish. Myths did not show up on one's metaphorical doorstep to answer the prayers of frightened and lonely fillies; she'd learned that a long time ago. And yet, Mother had seemed so certain, and trusting in Her wisdom hadn't led Stardust wrong in the last five years.

So lost in thought, Stardust hadn't noticed that she'd missed the turning for the dorm wing. She was jerked awake from her reverie to find herself in front of the large double doors to the Grand Library. The unicorn cursed her daydreaming; she was pretty much on the far side of the Sanctum. This is what you got when you let your mind wander. Painfully aware of the weight on her back, Stardust didn't relish the thought of backtracking without a decent rest first. Remembering the wizened apple in her pocket, she decided that the Library was as good a place for a break as any other; in all likelihood she'd have come here after storing the candles anyway. Gratefully shrugging off the sack, she left it propped against the wall before opening the doors and slipping in.

The Grand Library, her sanctum within the Sanctum. Here Stardust was able to forget herself, her situation, even the Duty for just a few hours a day. For a few hours, she could be anypony; an explorer of strange unknown lands, a great warrior and defender of the weak, she was limited only by her imagination and the books before her. It was here that she truly felt alive again, if only for a few hours a day. But it was worth it. The candle bobbed by her head as she wandered down the aisles of bookshelves that stretched as high as the ceiling would allow, their mysterious and foreboding peaks lost in the haze of unsettled dust. While she was an avid reader, Stardust very much doubted that she could ever read the entire Library in one lifetime, let alone the lifetime she had left. Besides, there were only about thirty or so that she really enjoyed, any others had simply been a passing fancy and returned to the shelves with either satisfaction or disappointment.

It was one of these treasured thirty that she was seeking now. Truth be told, she'd not thought about it for a while, and it was only her conversation with Mother that had brought it to mind. Now, where had she – Aha! Stardust smiled as she retrieved her prize from the shelf; it was a very battered and dog-eared tome, whose spine appeared to have been repaired several times to no avail. Holding it with her magic, Stardust quickly made her way back through the aisles to the reading area near the front of the Grand Library. In the day, there would have been and dozen or more ponies sitting at the desks, or reclining in armchairs provided, reading in the comforting warmth of the log fires that had blazed merrily in the large fireplaces. While it didn't have the same air of invitation now, it was still a comfortable enough place to read.

Setting both the book and candle down gently on a desk, Stardust fished the apple out of her pocket and made herself comfortable. Taking a bite of the wrinkly fruit, she scrutinised the cover of the book; age had faded the colours, but the words and design, embossed in faded silver ink, were still discernable: "_The Green Stallion and other Foalhood tales_" and beneath them, what looked like a stylised dewdrop.

Flicking through to the story she was after, Stardust began to read. She was vaguely aware of a distant crashing somewhere in the Sanctum, but ignored it; cave-ins were part and parcel of her life after all. What did grab her attention was the moaning wail that echoed along the empty corridors. Stardust went rigid, an icy tingle of fear running up her spine. What was that? A tense few minutes passed before it sounded again; a bewildered and confused howling. Stardust leapt to her feet, sending her chair clattering over backwards. She cursed at the racket it made. Again, the noise sounded, a lost and lonely cry. Stardust forced herself to calm down.

Be rational, she told herself; clearly the roof had caved in somewhere and it was just the wind blowing through. She'd just have to find the source and block it off. The noise didn't sound again. The wind must have changed direction, she reasoned, and went to right her chair. But then her ears pricked at the sound of something else, something far more insidious; _fnip__-__fnap__-__fnip__-__fnap__-fnip-fnap_. Panic resurfaced and dread gripped her once more; this was no wind. Something was inside the Sanctum with her!

_fnip-fnap-fnip-fnap-fnip-fnap_

And it was coming this way!

* * *

It was dark, it was cramped, and it stank of something the mage couldn't quite place. However, Aliks was out of the wind, and for that much he was grateful. The blizzard had descended without any warning; one moment he'd been trudging through the snow, intent on sating his curiosity, the next he was fighting his way blindly forward, one hand clamped on top of his head to keep his hat in place, the other fruitlessly stretched out in front. The wind had been so loud in his ears that he'd missed Cres' warning about an "immediate-inclination-ahead" and he had half skidded, half tobogganed down the wall of his spell's crater on his rump. While fully aware that the higher-powers didn't do much in the way of miracle working, by this point he had been fully prepared to thank all of them for what he had found at the crater's base; a trapdoor. Not bothering to question the chances, he had blown it open with a smaller fireball and quickly ducked inside.

However, now that he was safe, relatively speaking, his paranoia had begun to act up again. The fact that the storm had vanished with as much warning as its arrival once he was inside didn't help, either. Had his mysterious foe conjured the storm to drive him into these tunnels? To make him so desperate for shelter that he wouldn't question where it came from? Could they perform an encore if he dared to venture outside again? He shook his head in an attempt to dispel such thoughts; the answers were here, somewhere.

Wand outstretched, he conjured a small pilot flame to see by. The tunnel stretched out before him, like the throat of some great beast. Well, he didn't have any other plans. Keeping his wand held high and his free hand on the tunnel wall, he set off into the welcoming dark. The wall was oddly smooth; as his fingers brushed over it they encountered no signs of mortar or other blocks, almost as if it were a natural formation, or one seamless slab expertly hollowed out into a tunnel. Either way, it spoke of amazing Skill in Construction.

"WARNING: Obstruction-ahead." Cres' voice announced.

The mage moved his free hand in front of him and, sure enough, encountered resistance. Again, he couldn't help but notice it shared the same seamless quality as the rest of the tunnel; beautiful workmanship to be sure, but unnerving too. So, he was at a dead-end; now what? Would the walls suddenly start closing in, and crush him to paste? Or would the exit seal off and leave him to suffocate? Or would the perpetrator swing by for a quick gloat before dispatching him personally? Either way, he had clearly reached wherever his mysterious foe had intended him to be and was now completely at their mercy; so, where on 'Scape were they? If they'd gone through all the trouble of engineering his arrival to this particular place, they could at least have the decency to show up when dramatically appropriate.

Sighing loudly, he crossed his arms and leaned on the wall. At least the cold wasn't so bad down here; benefits of an underground lair, he supposed.

"WARNING: Fault-in-structural-integrity-detected!" piped the little robot.

Cresbot wasn't wrong; Aliks could feel the wall shifting under his weight. Not such a dead-end after all, it seemed. Placing both his hands on the wall, he pushed with all his Strength until black spots danced in front of his eyes and his elbows and shoulders creaked from the strain. If walls could look smug, this one definitely would. Pausing only to catch his breath and wait for the spots to vanish, Aliks backed up a few metres and levelled his wand at the wall; if that was the way it wanted to play, fine. A ball of pressurised air exploded from the end of the wand and struck the wall, punching a head-sized hole in the masonry, and blasting debris out the other side in a series of crashes and thumps. Aliks tutted; credit where it was due, the masons had certainly built to last. Still, he reasoned as he sheathed his wand, now that he had a hole, maybe he could loosen some more stones by hand; he had a finite number of runes, after all.

After ineffectively trying to disperse the brick dust by fanning it with his hat, the mage grabbed hold of the exposed stones and pulled, expecting it to resist to the end. He was rather surprised when the whole wall swung inwards with very little effort; it was a door. Who in their right mind designs a door to look like part of a wall? Shelving it with the other unsolved mysteries of the day, Aliks walked through.

What was on the other side of the door-wall took his breath away; it was a grand hall of stone easily worthy of any Dwarf King, with great columns that reared up towards a vaulted ceiling that was lost to view in the dark gloom high, high above his head; the flickering light from his wand stood no chance. Questions buzzed around his mind, bullying all paranoid ramblings into silence through sheer enthusiasm; how long had it taken to build this place? Had been intended as an underground complex, or had it simply sunk as time marched on? If so, what had it been built from for it to last so long?

He let out a long whistle of appreciation, which echoed around the cavernous hall. A childish grin then spread across his face as he took a deep breath.

"ECHO!" he bellowed and listened appreciatively as his voice bounced off the stone walls until it dwindled to a mere whisper.

"Cresbot-assumes-Aliksandar-has-found-the-chamber's-acoustics-satisfactory?"

The mage chuckled.

"Lighten up, Cres," he grinned, "After all that we've been through today, I think we've earned a little levity!"

"Request: Acknowledged. Executing."

A bright beam of light suddenly radiated from the little robot's display-light, piercing the dark to a much greater effect than Aliks' pilot flame.

"I didn't mean that literally," he mumbled, "Have you always been able to do that?" he queried, extinguishing and sheathing his wand.

"Request-for-information-acknowledged. Answer: Yes."

"Then why, in Guthix's name, didn't you say so before?" he fumed, thinking back to all the times past when a light source would have been handy.

"Aliksandar-has-never-enquired-about-the-full-extent-of-Cresbot's-functions." The robot replied, sounding a little indignant.

"Fair point," he conceded, "Let's take a look around, shall we?"

With his Trusty Companion cutting a swathe through the gloom, Aliks ambled over to the nearest of the columns. Again, at first glance it seemed to be one massive chunk of stone carved into the appropriate shape; with closer inspection and Cres' light-beam, he could see the neat, almost invisible, hairline cracks where one stone ended and another began. The stones had been fused together; whoever had built this place had some serious magic to call on. Masonry aside, his attention was drawn to the fresco of carvings around the pillar's base; his inner archaeologist knew that time could eat away at almost anything given enough… well, time, but something else had beaten time to the punch. The carvings were chipped, gouged, and even looked to have melted in some places to the point of being unrecognisable, though the subjects looked vaguely humanoid.

Just what had happened here?

As he turned from the pillar, his foot sent something skittering away into some far corner of the chamber.

"Wonder what that was?" he murmured.

"Request-for-information-acknowledged. Answer: Cresbot-believes-it-was-a-femur."

"As in the bone?"

"Yes. Cresbot-advises-Aliksandar-look-to-the-right."

He did so. The light-beam illuminated something Aliks could have done without seeing. It was a massive pile of bones, haphazardly stacked in the centre of the chamber; every one of them was charred as black as night. Now he could place the smell from earlier; death, decay, desecration, lots of "D" words.

Aliks was no stranger to bones; he'd excavated many, buried plenty, fought more than his fair share of the animated variety. Bones held no fear for him. But the blank-eyed stares and soot-stained smiles of the blackened skulls were decidedly unnerving.

He cocked an eyebrow at the pile; there was something… off about them, but he couldn't tell what. He made his way over to the pile and gingerly picked up one of the skulls. He felt a shiver run up his spine as his fingers touched the charred object; something truly terrible had happened here. Not wanting to keep hold of it for longer than necessary, he quickly examined the grisly object. The proportions were unlike any race he'd encountered before, whatever the creature had been it would have been a sight to behold; the creature had two impressively large eye-sockets and in the middle of the forehead was an odd indention the likes of which he'd never seen before, while the rest of the skull seemed more reasonably proportioned, if slightly larger and more elongated than that of the average human.

Not wanting to earn the ire of some vengeful ghost, Aliks reverently replaced the skull and backed up a respectable distance. He gazed around the chamber again. Just what was this place, a temple or a charnel pit? He looked back to the pile of bones.

"I wonder who they were?" he whispered sadly.

"No-data-available." came the muted reply.

The mage turned away from the pile and walked further into the chamber; he could see several passageways leading off in various directions. Clearly this had been quite the busy place in its heyday, judging by the pathways that had been worn into the stonework. Still, there had to be at least one soul still living here; his mysterious foe, the one who had brought him here.

Cupping his hands, he issued a challenge.

"COO-EE! I'm right where you want me!"

He waited for the echoes to die away, and was surprised to hear a muffled cracking sound come from the easternmost passage.

"Did you hear that?" he asked his Trusty Companion.

"Request-for-information-acknowledged. Answer: Yes. Unfortunately-Cresbot-was-unable-to-determine-the-source."

Aliks shrugged. It was better than nothing, he supposed. Keeping his wand at the ready, he started down the passage way, his sandaled feet echoing around the enclosed space; _fnip-fnap-fnip-fnap_.

"Is anyone there?" he called, not expecting a reply, "I'm not here to hurt you… unless of course you were planning to hurt me first, in which case I suppose I am here to hurt you. But be fair, it's just pre-emptive self-defence and you did start all of this!"

"Cresbot-is-certain-that-any-sane-opponent-would-be-quivering-at-such-bravado-Aliksandar."

The mage grinned sheepishly.

"It did get away from me a bit, didn't it?"

The silence said it all. Resolving to keep his mouth shut, he turned his attention to the passageway. Again, it was built of the same magic-fused stone as before. He found himself put in mind of his brother's tales of the fortress of Daemonheim, whose sprawling dungeons seemed almost limitless in the number of horrors they could produce. He couldn't help but wonder what horrors could be waiting for him beyond the next bend. Though a literal light at the end of the tunnel hadn't been top of his list it was, nevertheless, a welcomed alternative. At the far end of the passageway, there was a flickering light coming from a pair of double doors that had been left ajar.

"Cres, can you dim that head-light of yours?" he hissed to his companion.

The bot made no reply, but the light-beam dimmed significantly, returning the passageway to its natural gloom. Pressing himself up against the wall, Aliks sidled towards the double doors. Reaching them, he carefully and ever so slowly pushed them open wider with his foot, and stole a glance inside; it looked to be a massive library, with some sort of reading or study area near the front, the light had been coming from a candle on one of the desks. Someone had been here recently and, in all likelihood, was nearby.

"Cres, watch my back." he hissed.

"Acknowledged."

Keeping his wand ready, and eyes peeled for the slightest hint of treachery, Aliks stole into the library. He carefully picked his way towards to the candled desk; its chair was overturned, which explained the noise he'd followed. What was more interesting was the half-eaten apple left abandoned next to an open book.

"Looks like we interrupted lunch," the mage mused, picking up the wrinkled fruit and examining the tooth marks; he may not have been an accomplished Hunter like Ayla, but he knew enough basic biology to recognise that whatever had been eating wasn't human, "I guess we weren't expected after all…"

"ALARM: Threat-detected!"

Cres' panicked scream drew Aliks back to reality, and he spun around just in time to receive a heavy blow to the front of his head. He crumpled with a grunt, the apple dropping to the floor. Dazed, he was vaguely aware of a slender figure sprinting away, caught in the full glare of the little robot's light-beam. He was dazzled further when Cres turned its attention to him.

"Aliksandar-are-you-hurt?"

"I'll be fine," he muttered, blinking repeatedly to try and shift the black shapes that swirled across his vision. He could hear his attacker's footsteps retreating down the aisles of bookshelves; they could run fast for someone in heels, "Don't let them get away!"

"Acknowledged!"

As the little robot tore away after the assailant, Aliks groggily got to his feet, leaning on the desk for support. They may not have brought him here, but at the very least they might know something about this place. Pausing to pocket the fallen apple and massage his bruising forehead, he gave chase.

* * *

Terror and adrenaline spurred Stardust to run faster than ever before; she was running as if all the monsters of Tartarus were at her hooves, which probably wasn't too far from the truth in all honesty. What was that thing? Oh, Mother save her, what on Equis was that _thing_? It had looked like some tailless, furless earth-pony, whose face had been crushed and legs broken to bend the other way.

Was it chasing her?

Had she killed it?

She turned sharply and raced down Ca-Co. Confident that she now had enough distance behind her, she leaned against the bookshelves and fought to catch her breath. Black stars danced in front of her eyes as she forced herself to calm down, replaying the events of the last few minutes over again in her head.

On hearing the _thing's _approach, Stardust had manically run through her options; barricading the library was out of the question, the desks were far too heavy for her to move, even with magic, and the chair would offer no resistance. She could try losing it in the library, but without a head start, the _thing_ could probably outstrip her easily. The only option, so far as she could see, was to catch it by surprise, if she killed it all the better, and then try to lose it in the stacks. So, grabbing the heaviest thing that she could manage, (the Grand Library Index), she had taken position behind the double doors, and waited as the strange _fnip-fnapping_ beast drew ever closer.

When the creature had finally entered, a strange mixture of absurdity and pity had kept her from immediately attacking. Its anatomy was so, well… _wrong_; sure it had the right number of arms and legs, but its head had been so small that she'd had to repress the urge to laugh at how comical the thing looked, fully aware that she shouldn't underestimate this beast. Reasoning that any creature with such tiny ears must be a deaf as a post, she'd stolen up behind it while it played with her apple. She could have got a better blow in if something on its back hadn't started wailing in alarm. Still, she'd managed to knock the thing down and got away into the maze of bookshelves.

Now all she needed to do was loop round and out again, and get to the Vault. Mother would protect her. Her ears pricked at the approach of a sound, a bizarre metallic _tint-tant-tint-tant_. Whatever it was, it was coming towards her. Terror giving her second wind, she raced down the aisles again, turning at random intervals in a desperate attempt to lose her relentless pursuer. The metallic _tint-tant_ didn't waver though. Stardust rounded another aisle and bolted left, only for her heart to sink.

It was a dead-end.

The mare scrabbled at the wall in a frenzied panic, pummelling it with her fists as frustration, panic and terror all jostled for control. The _tint-tant_, now joined by the more insidious _fnip-fnap_, drew ever closer. This was it. Her only available choices were either try and climb up the shelves and hope the thing wasn't intelligent enough to try climbing after her, or throw herself on its mercy. Well, put it that way and there really was only one choice.

Standing her ground, Stardust waited for Fnip and Tant to round the corner. When Fnip's flat face came into view, she'd intended to charge at the beast, fists flailing, ready to punch, kick and bite her way out. Instead her legs gave out from under her, and she was left slumped against the wall.

Right when she had needed it, her body had betrayed her.

Stardust curled into a ball and waited for the inevitable; she only prayed that these monsters made it quick.

"I'm so sorry, Mother," she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes, "I tried my best."

She could hear Fnip and Tant coming nearer, and stop just a few metres away from her. She could hear what she assumed was a conversation, a series of guttural and harsh noises from Fnip, intermingled with Tant's metallic chirping. She wanted to yell at them, to demand that they hurry up and do whatever it was they were discussing (probably how best to cook her), but she didn't have the energy, and very much doubted they would understand her anyway. Finally the pair seemed to reach an agreement, as Fnip lumbered towards her. Stardust could hear the thing's whistling breathing and braced herself for the worse. She was understandably surprised to hear Fnip back up again.

Risking a look, the mare looked up to see the tall brute and the small creature that had ridden on its back at the far end of the aisle, watching her curiously. Fnip made a series of pointing gestures at her hooves. Looking down, Stardust saw what the creature had left; it was her apple.

Was this some sort of trick?

Tentatively, she reached out and took hold of the half eaten fruit. Fnip nodded its tiny head and gnashed its teeth together. Deciding that she was better staying in this creature's good graces, Stardust did as she was bid, finishing the fruit off in a couple of bites. The brute seemed satisfied by this. She eyed it thoughtfully as she chewed; perhaps it was intelligent, after all it was dressed in some form of clothing, though it had certainly seen better days. It was then that she saw something so shocking that she almost choked on her mouthful of apple; she'd missed it before due to her preoccupation with running for her life, but now she saw it as plain as day.

This had to be a coincidence. There was no other rational explanation. How else could she explain the fact that this creature was wearing the stylised dewdrop of _The Green Stallion_ on its belt?


	3. Where the Heart is: A Heart to Heart

Despite the fact his skull was ringing like a church bell during an Essianday service, Aliks did his best to follow the retreating footsteps of his Trusty Companion and, just ahead of those, the person responsible for said ringing skull. Hiding behind the door; oldest trick in the book. Still, it had paid off. If Cres hadn't warned him he'd most likely be kipping on the floor… or worse.

He stubbed his toe on something and cursed; while the distant bobbing of Cres' light was dispelling some of the dark in this place, his eyes had yet to adjust. Ignoring the throbbing protests from above and now below, he strained his hearing and headed in what he hoped was the right way; his sense of direction wasn't the best, he'd be the first to admit, and oddly being assaulted by a heavy book didn't help. Neither did the fact that, in all likelihood, this was his assailant's home turf; they'd been living in this dark place for who knew how long and could easily run circles around him. They could already have doubled back and out, assuming there was only one door to this place; they could have bolted through some backdoor, leaving him to chase ghosts in this blasted labyrinth.

He turned sharply, his sandals scrabbling for purchase on the flagstones, and jogged down another aisle of shelves. Just how big was this library? Considering how far he'd run, maybe big enough to hold an entire civilisation's worth of literature. He'd just have to ask his new friend about it.

"Aliksandar! Cresbot-has-the-target-cornered!"

The mage skidded to a halt, grabbing hold of a bookcase to steady himself. Peering into the gloom, he could see Cresbot standing a few metres away at the mouth of another aisle of shelves, doing its best to appear menacing. Taking a few moments to catch his breath, and straighten his robes, Aliks approached his Trusty Companion.

"Good job, Cres," he congratulated the little robot, who beamed with pride, "Now," he drew his wand and peered into the gloom, "Let's have a better look at our friend, shall we?"

Cres' light beam cut through the dark between the bookshelves and illuminated the form of his assailant, who slumped to the floor and hid their face when the light hit them. He cocked an eyebrow at the strange, bedraggled creature; it looked like nothing he'd ever seen before. Its hair was lank and matted and the arms with which it hugged its knees were almost skeletal; he was amazed it had been able to run for so long when so undernourished. Its skin was unnaturally pale and grubby, stretched almost to breaking point across fragile looking bones, and it was garbed in what looked like some shabby gown or robe. What surprised him most though was that its legs ended with hooves instead of feet. Was this some breed of demon? He shook his head at the notion; demons didn't skulk behind doors or run from confrontation.

What was this thing?

"Any thoughts, Cres?"

"This-creature-does-not-match-any-entry-in-Cresbots'-bestiary."

The mage eyed the shivering wreck; it was clearly cold or frightened, more likely both.

"Well," he sighed, "Only one way to find out I suppose."

"Cresbot-recommends-Aliksandar-immobilise-the-creature-before-approaching: It-could-still-be-dangerous."

Aliks shook his head, a slight smile on his lips.

"While I appreciate that you've been spending more time with Ayla, Cres, even she'd recognise this thing's in no condition to fight."

"Cresbot-makes-no-apologies-for-ensuring-Aliksandar's-safety."

Not wanting to cause further alarm, Aliks sheathed his wand and slowly edged his way towards the cringing ball at the far end of the shelves. Truth be told, he had no idea what he was going to do. He could try introducing himself, but then again there was no telling if this thing would understand him; a friendly introduction could be mistaken as a threat. Heck, for all he knew this thing probably thought he wanted to eat it.

Eat…

A grin spread across Aliks' face. He'd had an idea; he still had the apple from earlier so maybe, just maybe, he could convince this odd thing that he really had no interest in doing it harm. His grin widened; sometimes he impressed even himself.

As he drew nearer he was able to make out more of the creatures characteristics; for a start, what he'd assumed to be skin was in fact very fine and pale fur, marred with dirt and other unspeakable grime. Clearly whatever water was available down here was reserved exclusively for drinking, as the smell emanating from the creature attested. Trying his hardest not to gag, the mage brought the half-eaten fruit from out of his pocket and placed it at the thing's hooves. He quickly backed to a respectable distance to where the air wasn't quite so… solid.

Now all they could do was wait.

It didn't take long for the creature to stir. It looked up from its foetal position and regarded the mage with terrified incomprehension. Aliks was taken aback; not by the alien proportions of its face that matched the skulls he'd exhumed earlier, nor by the presence of the spiralled horn protruding from its forehead (which explained the indentations on the skulls). What took his breath away was how gaunt and sunken this pitiful creature's face was; the only difference between it and the skulls was that it was still alive. Somehow that made it worse.

Remembering his plan and trying not to stare, he pointed dramatically at the apple by its hooves. The creature looked at the fruit as though it might explode and then regarded him with suspicion, before tentatively reaching out and taking hold. Aliks gave what he hoped was an encouraging grin and nodded enthusiastically, and mimed chewing for good measure. The creature gave him a wary look, but finished off the apple regardless.

Aliks looked down to his Trusty Companion and grinned. "There you go," he declared, gesturing to the chewing creature, "We've made progress and without having to restrain anyone!"

Cresbot gave the mechanical equivalent of a sigh and fixed the human with a despairing W.

"Cresbot-is-impressed-with-Aliksandar's-conduct. However-this-does-not-solve-Aliksandar-and-Cresbot's-primary-issue."

The grin vanished. The bot was right; they were no closer to finding a way to repower the fairy ring, or the mysterious foe who had engineered their arrival here. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and kicked at the floor despondently. His gaze drifted over to his new friend, who had long since finished the apple and was now subjecting him to the most invasive gaze he'd ever encountered. Its large eyes were moving across his body, examining everything; he felt as if his very soul was being studied for imperfections and judged out of ten on that basis. Needless to say the soul-piercing scrutiny was incredibly unsettling; what was truly disturbing, however, was when its line of sight gravitated and lingered below his midriff. Resisting the urge to pull his cloak around him, he turned his attention back to Cresbot.

"Well, we could always try asking for help." He suggested, gesturing at the far end of the shelves.

"Does-Aliksandar-believe-this-organic-capable-of-communication?"

The mage shrugged, "Honestly? I don't know. But we won't know unless we try, right?"

"No-data-available."

All things considered, that was probably the best he was going to get. He returned his attention to the aisle's other occupant at, who was still staring at him. Off-putting as it was, Aliks could forgive it; who knew how long this poor creature had been alone down here? How long had it been since it had seen another one of its own kind, let alone a human; he was probably the most fascinating thing to have happened since Guthix-knew-when…

This wasn't helping.

He needed to focus.

There had to be some way for him to communicate the emergency of the situation to this being; Pictograms? Mime? Interpretive dance? It was clearly intelligent but then again (by some stretch of the definition) so were goblins. A movement at the end of the aisle drew him out of his musings; it was getting up.

Well, if he was trying to make a good impression he might as well be a gentleman.

Leaving Cresbot to sputter warnings, Aliks walked to the end of the aisle, remembering to breathe through his mouth this time, and offered his hand to the struggling creature. It flinched away, eyes screwed tight as it pressed itself against the wall, as if the proffered appendage had teeth.

The mage sighed inwardly.

This was going to be fun…

Stardust's mind was racing; not the frantic, adrenaline pumping thoughts of a mare running for her life, but those of any rational pony confronted by what was obviously an entirely new species.

The creature seemed to be locked in some sort of debate with its shorter counterpart, leaving her free to study the strange creature in greater detail. Its anatomy suggested that it was some breed of ape, though it looked nothing like the pictures in the books she'd idly read some months past; biology was not her forte. Still, anatomy aside, she found her gaze inevitably drawn back to the mark on its belt. It had to be a coincidence. _The Green Stallion_ was a myth; an old mare's tale, one of, if not _the_ oldest, designed to tell little foals not to be too proud, else they'd miss what was right in front of them. While the titular character's appearance varied with who was telling the tale, the one constant was his cutie mark: a single cyan dewdrop; the same mark that adorned Fnip's belt.

Stardust reached a decision; the question of whether this was the mythological figure in some form of disguise, or just a very cultured and coincidental ape could wait. Mother had been expecting somepony, and if this creature was her guest, then she'd delayed it long enough. She started to get up, and cursed as her legs buckled under her; the remains of the apple had helped, but she was still dangerously fatigued. Leaning on the wall for support, the mare tried again.

_fnip-fnap-fnip-fnap_

Stardust looked up at the ape's approach. Tant was squawking at it from the aisles mouth, but it ignored it. The mare froze; had she been wrong after all? Was this clothed ape going to kill her? It reached out towards her. She flinched away, unable to do anything other than shut her eyes and press herself against the cold stone of the wall, willing it to absorb her. The seconds ticked by. After about half a minute, Stardust risked opening an eye. The bipedal ape was standing about a metre from her, hand still outstretched and a look of, what she first assumed was exasperation but quickly recognised as confusion on its strange, flat face.

Realisation dawned.

It wanted to help her up.

Tentatively, she reached out her own hand towards the offered appendage; the ape's grip was firm, but gentle. It grunted softly as it helped her to her hooves, letting go only after it was certain she could stand unaided.

"Um… thank you?" she offered.

The thing gave her a bemused look and gave an apologetic gargle in response. Okay, so speaking wasn't going to work. Perhaps body language would? She tried inclining her head towards it. The gesture seemed to register, and the ape inclined its head in return, a large grin on its face. It turned its attention to the small creature that trailed after it and barked what she could only assume was an order.

The strange thing chirped, and scuttled closer. Now Stardust could tell where the intense light from earlier had come from; the little creature's triangular head was glowing. It stared up at her, the light from its head radiating from a narrow slit. The shape put Stardust in mind of how foals drew birds in flight. Unsure of what else to do, she inclined her head towards it as well, and gasped as the light-slit morphed into a line of dots. The shape morphed again and was replaced by a shoe-shape like arc, as it inclined its tiny head back.

Fnip laughed as the little creature scrambled up its leg and came to rest on its shoulders, peering over at her with its shoe-shaped "eye". What a curious thing it was; it looked like a foal's toy, yet by the way it moved was clearly alive. It must be magical, she concluded.

Struck with the recollection of what she was meant to be doing, Stardust took a firm grip of the ape's hand, and started walking out of the aisle and back into the labyrinthine library. Seeming content for her to lead the way, Fnip made no sound of protest. She was grateful for the light its companion's "head-light" provided; regardless of whether it was home or not, nopony liked to be left fumbling in the dark. It didn't take long for them to reach the reading area at the Grand Library's entrance. Pausing only to extinguish and pocket the candle that was still burning merrily on the desk and make certain that the book hadn't been caught in the waxy puddle, Stardust resumed leading her strange companions through the draughty corridors towards their final destination.

The Vault.

As the bizarre trio progressed, Stardust couldn't help but smile at the low cooing noises her companion was making; clearly it was impressed at the Sanctum's architecture. She wondered vaguely what it was used to, and passed the journey with visions of straw roofed mud huts akin to those the very first equine had built to shelter from the untamed weather. Her daydreams were cut short by a gasp of wonder from Fnip.

She looked up.

They were here.

The great iron doors loomed high above them, bars frozen in place and rusted shut from the years of neglect. She glanced at her companions and tried very hard to supress a snort of laughter; Fnip's mouth gaped wide and its eyes boggled at the sight before them, even Tant's "eye" had morphed into a wide circle of light. Composing herself, Stardust went to knock on the iron behemoth with her free hand, and paused, struck by a rather absurd thought.

How was she meant to introduce this visitor?

She could hardly introduce it as "Fnip" as she'd mentally dubbed it, and didn't want to panic Mother by telling her that an alien had dropped by to say "hello" either. Then again she didn't want to raise Mother's hopes by introducing this well-dressed ape as _The Green Stallion_ either. An idea struck her; she knew of a way to rule out _The Green Stallion_ theory, at the very least.

_The one constant_.

Letting go of the ape's hand, she turned around. It greeted her with a look of polite curiosity. Not bothering with the vocal approach this time, the unicorn plunged straight into the physical realm. She pointed first at the symbol on its belt, and then to its flank, where a pony's cutie mark would be. She fixed the ape with what she hoped was her most questioning look and waited for a response.

It scratched at the hair under its jaw and garbled incomprehensibly.

Sighing inwardly, Stardust repeated the gesture, putting a little bit more emphasis behind her gestures. Again, she was met with incomprehension.

Making no effort to hide her frustration at the creature's inability to understand what was meant to be a very simple question, she decided to cut out the middlemare and show the dumb ape what she meant. Bending down the grabbing the hem of her robe in one hand, she started pulling it up, only to be interrupted by an unintelligible spluttering. She looked up to see Fnip's face had darkened in colour and had contorted into an uncomfortable grimace. She cocked an eyebrow in bemusement as the truth dawned; it was blushing.

Well, she thought, if prudery wasn't a sign of intelligence, she didn't know what was.

Smirking to herself, she pulled the robe to her waist, and with her free hand, pointed vigorously to the large six-pointed star that adorned her flank; her cutie mark, the icon that symbolised not only her talents with the mystic arts, but also marked her as one of Mother's chosen Daughters. She let her gaze linger, enjoying the fond memories the mark held, before looking back to Fnip, and gesturing enquiringly at it. She scowled, and her tail, free from the confines of her robe, flicked in agitation; Fnip was making a point of looking at anything other than her now semi-exposed lower body. She snapped her fingers irritably to try and draw its attention back to her flank; its eyes reluctantly swivelled to the source of the noise, briefly acknowledged what was there and quickly away again.

Deciding she'd tormented the prudish creature enough, Stardust let her robe fall to the ground again, and cleared her throat, letting it know that it was safe to look. Once she was certain that she had its attention, she repeated her question. Comprehension flashed in its eyes. Pointing to its belt and then its hip, the ape made a series of wild hand gestures and shook its head vigorously. She had to admit, a little bit of the excitement that had been steadily building died then; this wasn't _The Green Stallion_ after all. It had just been coincidence, or her subconsciously seeing the icon where it wasn't.

Still, curiosity persisted; if the mark on the belt wasn't this thing's cutie mark, then what was it?

Her query got the same response of wild gestures and shakes. She wasn't sure what to make of it; was this thing so prudish that it didn't want to show off something so natural? It was possible, given its earlier reaction. Still, she wanted answers, and she reached out and tugged at the ape's robe gently. It jumped as if stung and swatted her hand in response, frowning warily at her. She persisted through its discomfort and tugged again until its shoulders slumped in resignation. Grumbling incoherently, it bent down quickly and grabbed its robes, causing its passenger to gibber in alarm as it was nearly dislodged, and pulled them up to its waist quickly before letting them drop again.

Now Stardust understood the reluctance; there was nothing there. Just a bare patch of skin. Also, she now felt fairly confident in assuming that Fnip was male; the low voice and hair growing around its mouth and down its neck had suggested as such, what was between _his_ legs pretty much confirmed it.

Curiosity sated, and feeling slightly guilty at what she'd put the poor blank-flank through, she reached up and rapped on the iron doors. She took hold of Fnip's hand again in preparation; noticing he was slightly more reluctant this time.

"Mother?" she called, "Its Star. Sorry to disturb you again, but I've brought a… a _friend_ to meet you. May we come in?"

Almost immediately, she felt the familiar sensations of teleporting, and the world changed around her. She looked to her right, wondering just what Fnip's reaction would be: Would he be surprised? Afraid? Or entertained? Considering he'd let go of her hand, she was willing to bet a mixture of all.

She was shocked, however, to find herself addressing empty air.

Fnip had vanished!

"Just when you think life can't get any more awkward," the mage sighed, staring first at his now empty hand and then at the great iron portal, "It throws a gnomeball at you, eh Cres?"

"ERROR: No-data-available!"

Aliks didn't need his Trusty Companion to explain this one; someone had tried to teleport them and, while it had moved one of them, their spell had "splashed" on him. It was embarrassing, but it happened to even the most senior and formidable of wizards; it was more life threatening in combat scenarios, but every other time it was cause for awkward silences and shuffling feet.

Despite how well they'd been getting along at first, with the whole leading him out of the library thing, he was now rather glad to be away from the crazy-tattooed-horse-woman, (the absence of certain parts had cleared up _that_ little mystery), and he was eternally grateful to any higher power present that Ayla would never know about this; he knew that she'd never buy the idea of him flashing against his will.

He felt a charge run through his body, and a brief moment of motion-sickness; they were trying again. Quick as it came though, it faded just as fast; whoever was on the other side was having a really bad run of luck.

Suspicion reared its ugly head.

Or, they were using a breed of magic which he had been rendered immune to years ago.

His wand was in his hand in a flash, not that it'd do him much good if his suspicions paid off. Still, it was better than nothing.

One didn't challenge a Young God with fists alone.

"WARNING: Aliksandar-your-heart-rate-has-increased-exponentially!" came a worried voice from his shoulder, "What-is-the-matter?"

He was about to answer when a horrendous squeal of tortured metal assaulted his ears. His wand fell to the floor as he clasped his hands to the sides of his head in a vain attempt to block out the auditory assault.

What the heck was happening?

Looking up, his question was answered, and his mouth dropped open in awe. Slowly, fighting against the rust of decades and shattering the ice that had frozen it in place, the great iron doors were slowly swinging outward. A hail of ice and rust rained down around him, forcing the mage to throw himself the floor, and curl as tightly as he could manage. After what seemed like an eternity, all was silent again, apart from the ringing in his ears and the occasional _plink_ of falling ice. Looking up from his prone position, he could see Star-flank standing in the open doorway, looking equal parts amazed and horrified at what had just happened, massaging her ears. She looked at him quizzically, and a guilty expression decided to camp on his face.

Getting to his feet and brushing himself down, he gave an apologetic grin.

"Sorry," he laughed nervously, "My fault."

Before she could respond, there was a flash of blue light from the dark beyond. She turned around and spoke something unintelligible, before turning back to the sheepish mage and motioning him to follow her. Retrieving his fallen wand and keeping it to hand, Aliks edged forwards cautiously. The room beyond the iron behemoths had an odd bluish tint to it; it made his spine tingle in all the wrong ways. Star-flank motioned for him to hurry up, and waited for him beyond the portal's threshold.

Aliks got the feeling that if he wanted the answers he needed, then he had very little choice other than to follow.

As soon as he crossed the threshold, there was a deafening crash as the doors thundered shut behind him. Well, there was no backing out now.

At least the room wasn't in total darkness; there was a faint blue glow emanating from the… well, the _thing _at the room's centre. A flare of phosphorous light left purple and green blotches dancing across his vision as Star-flank relit the candle she'd pocketed earlier; he didn't even see where she'd put the matches. Reaching out, she took hold of his unresisting hand, and pulled him gently towards the centre of the room.

The light from the candle did very little to dispel the gloom around them, and was vaguely tempted to have Cres light their way, but reconsidered; he'd caused his guide enough grief over the past hour and didn't really want to offend her further. A tell-tale rapping from under foot and a vague sense of nausea suggested that they were on some kind of metal catwalk suspended above a pit of some kind. He instinctively drew closer to his guide, crazy-tattooed-horse-woman or not, and tightened his grip. He wondered what was lurking down there in the abyss; probably just dust and bones of those who'd let their curiosity trump their self-preservation. He shivered at the thought, and focused his attention on the soft blue glow ahead; it was drawing nearer.

After what seemed like an age of walking, the trio finally reached the centre of the cavernous chamber. Now Aliks could clearly see the object that had been bathing the room in soft blue light; it was a large heart-shaped gem, seemingly suspended in mid-air and humming softly. Aliks mouth gaped; it was without doubt one of the most beautiful things he'd ever laid eyes on; Ayla's description of the fantastic Kharid-Ib diamond seemed like a cheap knock off compared to this beauty. It was the most, well… _real_ thing he'd ever seen.

His sixth sense, which he'd dubbed "World Guardian sense", stood up and screamed at him; this was powerful Elder Magick, the raw reality bending alpha and omega stuff of creation and destruction. The one thing he should absolutely, definitely, never-ever-do was touch the thing!

All these warnings went unheeded as Star-flank took his unresisting hand and placed it open-palm on the heart-gem's surface.

Aliks world exploded.

His veins both burned and froze as though ice and fire coursed through them; his head felt like it was being beaten by a lead club; power and knowledge surged through him; one instant he knew everything, the mysteries of the multi-verse unravelled, but before he could focus on anything, it was violently ripped away from him; he opened his mouth to scream, but no noise would come; he felt as though he was falling though infinity, but at the same time standing on the sturdiest ground possible; all six of his senses screamed at him and then, blissfully, went numb.

He was left …standing…falling… _floating_ in limbo.

.

..

…

..

.

An image flashed before his eyes, but was gone before he could register anything.

It was quickly replaced by another, then another, and then another.

Each one was ripped away and swallowed by the white nothingness before he could really understand what it was that he was seeing, but somehow the knowledge, _the memory_, registered calmly in his mind.

_Flash_

A group of horse-like creatures walking on all-fours as nature intended; nature was only capable of so much on its own.

_Flash_

The same group, only now they were bipedal, their fore-hooves transformed into dextrous fingers and thumbs. Aliks looked at the sight and felt content; they could accomplish so much more now!

_Flash_

A collection of winged horse-creatures staring down at him, their expressions thunderous; he knew full well what he'd done and wasn't ashamed to admit it!

_Flash_

A vast and empty cave system, isolated from the rest of the world; this would suffice. Here he would watch over them, teach them, guide them towards their true potential!

_Flash_

_Flash_

_Flash_

_Flash_

The images came faster and faster, blurring into a kaleidoscope of shapes, colours and emotions; each memory was calmly filed away in his brain for later.

_Flash_

Rather than a static image this time, Aliks found himself in a world of grey shadows; something told him that this memory wasn't a fond one, judging by how vague it was. Voices whispered in the greyness.

Aliks strained his hearing, uncertain as to why, but desperate to know what made this memory so terrible.

"…_certain_ that this will work?" the voice seemed to ask. Its tone was cautious but well spoken, and he guessed from the pitch that it was a woman doing the asking; he was put in mind of his female tutors in the Tower.

Straining again, he heard another voice that made him shiver.

"Oh, absolutely!" the voice wheedled, "I can guarantee that these are just the guys to solve your little problem, my dear."

He heard a voice like this before; to a voice like this, life was just a game. It didn't matter what happened to the pieces in the end just so long as it had fun.

The voices seemed to get fainter, the words inaudible no matter how hard he strained his ears. Suddenly the sound came back; winds roared and howled, an icy presence passed over him and suddenly he knew what cold truly was. But what truly froze his blood was the triumphant laughter that echoed above it all; not the cruel laughter of the villain victorious, but the merry chortle of a trickster triumphant!

A name escaped Aliks' mouth as the grey was swallowed by the white once more.

"SLISKE!"

The air was forced from his lungs as he hit the ground. Or whatever this white oblivion was.

He pushed himself up on… nothingness, and looked around at… more nothingness.

Oh, he knew where he was now; he'd been here before. It was still just as depressingly blank as it had been then.

This was the threshold of his Mind.

Despite being a mental projection, he straightened and dusted down his robes.

"What on 'Scape was that?" he wondered aloud.

"My greatest mistake."

The mage spun on his heel. Behind him was a horned creature not unlike Star-flank, although the horn and clearly being female was where the similarities ended.

This one was better fed and dressed in flowing white robes that matched the colour of her glowing fur. Her mane and tail shone like the sun and flowed ethereally. Both were a rich red that seemed to change shades as it rippled in the non-existent wind; one moment it was auburn, the next blood-red, then a glossy ruby. The creature smiled benignly at the mage, and unfurled an impressive set of wings, whose feathers held the same warm, white glow of the fur.

"I know you," was all he could manage to say.

The Alicorn laughed softly.

"Indeed," she politely inclined her head towards him, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance Aliksandar, World Guardian and Guardian of _The Green Stallion_. I am your mysterious foe, but you may choose to refer to me as _Faust_ if you wish."

She blinked her large eyes at him, sorrow and regret passing over her face before she forced a smile once more.

"I believe it is time you and I had a little heart to heart."


End file.
